USA Dot Com is a blog covering politics and government from a conservative Christian perspective. Verne Strickland is a 50-year veteran of investigative journalism. This blog offers a take-no-prisoners style with a modicum of biting satire. Verne and his wife of 55 years, Durrene, live in Wilmington, NC.

My walk with cancer began when I found that I was actually losing the
ability to walk. Pain froze my
hips, hobbled my legs, and forced me to shuffle along, barely lifting my
feet. I was suddenly old and infirm. I looked it.

I turned 75 in 2012, but have enjoyed very good health most of my
life. I've tried to watch my diet to curb cholesterol. I do light weight
training, and stay off the smokes, which I quit over thirty years ago.

But then this "thing" happened. I had to curtail all my activities. I
was grounded. My energy plummeted. I had no appetite, and my weight
dropped markedly. Before I knew it, I was down to within five pounds of
what I scaled in at when I was in boot camp at Fort Jackson fifty years
ago.

I dropped out of sight. I could not function. Early onset of Alzheimer's
worsened, and I was often confused and inarticulate. I couldn't think.
To my family the change was evident, and alarming. We were all
concerned. I didn't announce to friends until later what was going on. At the time, I
didn't know.

Foolishly, I cut down on and then stopped altogether the dozen or more
prescription medicines which glued me together, regulating my heart,
breathing, digestive and circulatory systems, and my brain. As a result,
I crashed, and dove into a depression so deep I didn't think I would
get out. I questioned how long I could tolerate it. It was a desperate
time.

I didn't know I would talk about this, but it's a part of the story. I
entered a recommended mental rehab facility, which helped me get
emotionally stable again. I needed that. While there for a brief period,
I lived with unfortunates more desperately ill than I.

There is no shame in this for me. Quite the contrary. It was a priceless
and touching opportunity to see the other side. Even to be on the other
side for a time. It broadened my horizons. I can even liken the
experience in a way to the crushing emotional burden and depression that
many combat veterans feel, although to liken my own sickness to theirs
would be disrespectful.

My fleeting passage through that dark world fed the kinship I feel
with our soldiers and Marines like my dear friend Ilario Pantano, whose
campaign I took pride in supporting. He has talked about the horrors of
PTSD, which has beset so many veterans, and talks frankly about his own
bout with these demons. I think perhaps I may understand that a bit
better now.

It was a profound experience. We had nothing but the staff and each
other. They helped me. I helped them. They were all good people with bad
problems. I'm sure many of them are still there. I will never forget
them.With that fixed, I undertook the next step -- to find out what was
physically wrong with me. We had only begun our search. My loving, caring family gathered around me.
This was so important. We prayed for direction, courage and resolve. It
all came, of course. Faith is wonderful when you have it, and a
lifesaver when you need it.

We gave God the reins of our lives. He guided us to the man who took
charge of our medical dilemma -- Dr. William McNulty, a board-certified
Wilmington oncologist and internist of national reputation, a brilliant
and cheerful physician who changed my life and gave me a new sense of
hope. He is a founding partner of Cape Fear Cancer Specialists in Wilmington

I surrendered myself to a procession of tests and probes -- bone biopsies, CT
scans, MRIs, countless blood tests. The problems seemed to have originated in my pelvic
structure, which seemed reasonable, because my ability to walk had been
most seriously compromised.

Dr. McNulty early on suspected multiple myeloma, a type of cancer
which starts in plasma cells. It's the most common type of plasma
cell cancer -- intimidating, but treatable with what my oncologist
described as "modern medicine" -- radiation, and creative chemotherapy --
utilizing an "old" drug enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to new
creative techniques in IV usage. In my case it had attacked bone tissues -- primarily in my hips. It can metastasize if not properly diagnosed and promptly treated.

First came radiation therapy, which most often refers to external beam
radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams
come from a machine outside of your body that aims the beams at a
precise point on your body.

Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that
controls how cells grow and divide. While both healthy and cancerous
cells are damaged by radiation therapy, the goal of radiation therapy is
to destroy as few normal, healthy cells as possible.

This critical role in my treatment was undertaken by Board-Certified Radiation Oncologist Dr. Michael Papagikos at Coastal Carolina Radiation Oncology Center in Wilmington. He is one of the most knowledgeable, caring and inspiring physicians I have ever met.

Dr. Papagikos says: "My goal is to treat my patients with technologically advanced radiation
therapy in an expert, compassionate, and respectful manner with the goal
of improving and extending their life."

It was after several weeks of intensive radiation treatment that I entered the unique world of chemotherapy with Dr. McNulty at Cape Fear Cancer Specialists.

This is where we'll go next in this special medical series on USA DOT COM --

Liberals continue their hysteria over remarks made by Dr.
Ben Carson at the National Prayer Breakfast last week. Carson, a
prominent pediatric surgeon from Johns Hopkins University, dared to
weigh in on healthcare — something he knows something about, and
certainly knows better than Barack Obama. In the liberal mind, Carson
committed a grave transgression; he had dared to disagree with Obama,
and in Obama’s presence.
In a discussion of Carson’s moral effrontery, Candy Crowley, host of CNN’s State of the Union,
asked her panelists whether they were offended by Carson’s comments.
“He [Carson] was talking about the idea of, you know, weaving the Bible
into some objections he appears to have with the president’s
approach,” said Crowley, as if the president would never likewise do
anything so outrageous. Count Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
among the offended. She told Crowley: “I think it’s… not really an
appropriate place to make this kind of political speech and to invoke
God as his [Carson’s] support for that kind of point of view.”
In truth, what the likes of Crowley and Schakowsky object to is the
mere fact that someone publicly disagreed with Obama on healthcare, and
especially in the context of faith. This was sheer blasphemy. For
liberal Democrats, conservative Republicans are never permitted to use
their faith to disagree; no, only liberal Democrats enjoy such freedoms.
I could give a thousand examples illustrating the point; I’ve written
entire books doing so. For now, however, here are some particularly
salient examples involving Obama, liberals, and healthcare reform:
From the very first year of Obama’s presidency, the Religious Left
(Obama included) incessantly claimed God’s support for their vision of
healthcare reform. This was no surprise whatsoever, just as it was no
surprise that the liberal press was not only not outraged but silently
supportive. There was nary a whimper of protest from liberal
journalists, let alone their usual howls (when a Republican cites his
faith) of “separation of church and state!”
For instance, in August 2009, Obama addressed a “virtual gathering”
of 140,000 Religious Left individuals. It was a huge conference call to
liberal Christians, Jews, and other people of faith. Obama told them
that he was “going to need your help” in passing healthcare reform.
Christ-like, Obama penitently invoked a period of “40 Days,” a trial of
deliverance from conservative evildoers. He lifted up the brethren,
assuring them, “We are God’s partner in matters of life and death.”
Like a great commissioning, in the 40 Days that followed the
Religious Left was filled with the spirit, confidently spreading the
word, pushing for — among other things — abortion funding as part of an
eternally widening “social justice” agenda. A group called the Religious
Institute, which represented 4,800 clergy, urged Congress to include
abortion funding in “healthcare” reform. To not help poor women secure
their reproductive rights was unjust, declared the progressive
pastors. As the Rev. Debra Hafner, executive director of the Religious
Institute, complained, federal policy already “unfairly prevents
low-income women and federal employees from receiving subsidized”
abortions.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / February 14, 2013

THIS SHAMEFUL EPISODE IS BRAZENLY BIGOTED. 'FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR ONLY?' IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2013? IT'S ALSO GRIST FOR A BIG LAWSUIT.

February 13, 2013 6:18 PM

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – A school principal said no
white children were allowed at an after-school tutoring program, and now
some parents call it discrimination.

The principal at Mission Viejo Elementary in Aurora sent a letter
telling parents the program is only for students of color. Parents CBS4
talked with said they were shocked to see, in this day and age, what
they consider to be segregation.

“I was infuriated. I didn’t understand why they would include or exclude certain groups,” said parent Nicole Cox, who is white.

We have come so far in all of these years to show everybody that
everyone is equal, that everyone should be treated equally … this is a
form of bullying,” Cox said.

Before Cox could complain to the school, Pearson contacted her
directly. His voicemail only seemed to reinforce the segregated tutoring
idea.

“This is Andre Pearson. It’s focused for and designed for children of
color, but certainly, if we have space for other kids who have needs,
we can definitely meet those needs,” Pearson told Cox in the voicemail.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Islamic fundamentalism seeks to send Christians back to the catacombs

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

By Clemente Ferrer

The Hagia Sophia
(Holy Wisdom) basilica in Istanbul is the largest and only best of
Byzantine architecture. Its construction was ordered by Emperor Justinian and came about between 532 and 537 AD. According to the annals of history, Justinian
said of the basilica upon its completion, “Solomon, I have outdone
you", making a direct connection to the Temple of Jerusalem ruined by
the Romans less than 50 years after the birth of Christ.

The huge dome bears a rich symbolism that embodies both Paradise and
Creation, while the nave writes an accurate description of the Earth.
The architectural lineage of the building comes directly from the Holy
Land, where the martyria
shelter the sites associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ and
martyrs for the Christian faith. Other basilicas with the same
affinities, built in Constantinople during the reign of Justinian, were built to honor the memory of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Saint Irene, and the Apostles of Jesus.

Famous for its monumental dome and recognized as the epitome of Byzantine architecture, the Hagia
Sophia changed the history of architecture. It was the largest
Christian church, or any building, in the world for nearly one thousand
years.

From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, the basilica was
used as the cathedral of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople,
except during a period between the 1204 and 1261 when it served as the
cathedral of the Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople.

It was in 1453 that Constantinople was over-run by the Muslim Turks and
became known as Istanbul. For nearly 500 years, it served as a mosque,
having been seized by the Ottoman Turks. Muslim architects added Islamic
elements such as minarets and the mithrab.
The stunning and rich mosaics on the interior of the church,
illustrating the life of Christ and the saints were erased with plaster.
However, following the overthrow of Ottoman rule by the dictator
Mustafa KemalAtaturk, it was converted into a museum in 1935.

Turkey's parliament is now considering, as a first step, a proposal for the Hagia Sophia to revert to its status as a mosque. This is according to AdnanErtem, the chief of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Foundations. The final decision was made by the Minister of Culture.

The demand comes following a decree by the Islamist government of Turkey to convert a church in Nicea, also called Hagia Sophia, into a mosque. Now known in Turkish as İznik, it was at Nicea
where two of the great ecumenical councils of the Church were held, in
325 and 787 AD. Last summer, an idea was hatched to do the same with
another Christian basilica of the same name in Trebizond, in the province of TrabzonIli.

In the 1960s, the basilica church in Iznik
was converted into a museum, as was the much grander basilica in
Istanbul. The interior of the basilica is adorned with frescoes
depicting scenes from the New and Old Testaments, which are an
undisputed pinnacle of Byzantine art. The frescoes, which were covered
with plaster, were discovered and restored when it was transformed into a
museum and thus became a tourist attraction.

Radical Islamists
are seeking to make Christian basilicas and temples of great historical
importance into mosques, plastering over their essential Christian
character. And it is these same Muslim fundamentalists who are thus
aiming to banish Christians and Christian culture to the catacombs.

Spero columnist Clemente Ferrer is President of the European Institute of Marketing.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / February 14, 2013

On a film mission to Turkey some thirty years ago, I visited the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
It is breathtaking for its grandeur, and heartbreaking because of the Islamic movement's plans
to convert the structure -- now a museum -- into a mosque. All symbols of Christ and Christianity are already gone. Turkey today is a seething cauldron of tension, and its ties with the U.S. are
becoming tenuous.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / February 14, 2013

Published: 12 Feb 13 14:52 CET

A furry homage
or creepy exploitation? Nearly two years after the death of Berlin's
favourite polar bear Knut, the city's natural history museum is using
his pelt for a new exhibit.But then we did stuff Trigger didn't we? Somehow the German equivalent is more alarming, especially after watching "The Pianist" tonight on The Movie Channel.

The German capital's star animal attraction tragically died at the age
of four in March 2011 after he drowned following a seizure in his
enclosure at the Berlin Zoo.

But the bear that captured the hearts of millions after he was raised by
hand as tiny cub remains immensely popular in Germany, encouraging the
museum to create a full-sized Knut model covered in his own pelt.

"It's important to make clear we haven't had Knut stuffed," museum spokeswoman Gesine Steiner told the daily newspaper Bild on Tuesday. "It's an artistically valuable sculpture with the original fur."

The new Knut will only be shown for four weeks starting this Saturday.

"We are creating an extra entrance into the museum solely for Knut visitors," Steiner said.

The sculpture will then disappear into the museum's archives until 2014,
when it will be wheeled out for an exhibition on climate change and
protecting the environment.

But Knut's fans creeped out by seeing him skinned can instead head to
the Berlin Zoo, which unveiled a cute bronze memorial to him in October
2012.

Many have written off Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. I don't buy that at all. She is still relevant, courageous, and on-message for America. Her take on Obama's re-treaded address is a repudiation of tired old liberal philosophy.

"Tonight, we heard more of the same calls for bigger government—and
smaller citizens—from President Obama. In his first term, President
Obama’s answer to America’s economic challenges has been to tax more and
spend more. Four years later, the unemployment rate is higher today
than when the President was first sworn into office. The number of
Americans on food stamps has soared by more than 46 percent—up to 47
million people. And median household incomes have dropped by 7 percent.
"These are not just numbers, they are real people with real stories.
From small town bankers in Kimball, MN to job creators in Watertown, MN,
the small business owners I’ve talked with are telling me that
increased taxes and burdensome regulations are crippling their
businesses and hurting their bottom line.
"When government takes even more of what we make, then we get to keep
a lot less of what we earn. Sadly, that doesn’t lead to increasing
wages or bringing down the basic costs of living for most people.
"When it comes to investing in our future, we need to reprioritize
our spending to achieve objectives that will help all Americans, not
just well-connected donors or companies with high-paid lobbyists. All
spending isn't created equal. Too much money from President Obama’s
stimulus package made its way to companies associated with his political
contributors. Imagine if we spent that money on new roads and bridges
that Americans desperately need.
"In Minnesota’s Sixth District, for example, we have real
transportation needs. We need to expand I-94 and upgrade Highway 10.
We’re also working towards regular air service out of the St. Cloud
Airport to a major hub like Chicago. Just like the new Stillwater
Bridge, these important projects will yield direct economic benefits to
the community. These are the type of job-creating projects worthy of
further investment – not politically-connected companies like the
bankrupt Solyndra.
"Instead of President Obama’s laundry list of big government
proposals, we should be laser-focused on getting to a stable, growing
economy where wages expand and the cost of daily items like groceries
and gas go down. Here are a few solutions to grow the economy:

Legalize America’s abundant energy resources, which would lead
to an explosion in jobs and economic growth. The Keystone XL Pipeline is
one commonsense example.

Reform and simplify the tax code to make America more competitive in
the global economy. America has the highest corporate tax rate in the
world, which hinders economic growth.

Expand school choice to make a quality education accessible to help
every child succeed in school and life. Making more classes available
online would also help retrain our workforce.

Focus on free market health care solutions that give patients more
choices. The onerous medical device tax from Obamacare cripples
innovation and sends jobs overseas. It must be repealed.

"Despite the bleak economic numbers from the last four years, I
remain optimistic. Our nation’s history has been built upon the triumph
of hard work and ingenuity. We ventured west, we invented, we went to
space. No matter the obstacle, we overcame it. It’s in our blood as a
nation. Our future and our children are depending on our getting the
economy right."

Monday, February 11, 2013

Russia has helped decode an American stealth drone that was
captured by Iran 14 months ago in exchange for its secrets, a source has
told WND.

Last week,
Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Revolutionary
Guards air and space division, announced the decoding of the drone,
while Islamic regime media aired aerial footage below from the drone
showing some of its operational capabilities.
“Some (Guards officers) believed that America would send its commando
unit to destroy (the drone) while others were of the opinion that the
U.S. would not risk having its forces get caught by us, creating a
bigger problem for themselves, and that they might just do an air raid
to destroy it,” Hajizadeh said. “We gave it a 10 to 15 percent chance on
the air raid, and because of that we ordered an alert at all our
missile bases to be ready to launch against all U.S. bases (in the
region) if they did take any action.”
When the drone was captured, President Obama said, “We’ve asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond.”
According to Hamidreza Zakeri, a former intelligence officer of the
regime who has defected to Europe, Iran and Russia had long been working
on trapping a U.S. drone.
A Russian military team from its air and space division had secretly
entered Iran days after a strategic agreement between the two countries
in 2007 and was stationed at Revolutionary Guard bases to help the
Guards with its weapons program and access to modern U.S. technology.Get the inside story in Reza Kahlili’s “A Time To Betray” and learn how the Islamic regime “bought the bomb” in “Atomic Iran.”
After studying the stealth drone’s travel routes and its surveillance
of Iran’s skies, the Russians successfully hacked into the system of
one of the RQ170s and forced it to land in Iran Dec. 4, 2011.
With this collaboration, all the information of the stealth drone is
now in the hands of the Russians, and much has been given to Iran’s
Defense Ministry. Russia in turn provided Iran with the information on
its anti-air defense system S300. Russia, because of international
sanctions against Iran, could not deliver the actual S300 system.
Other information passed to Iran included technology on the American
fighters F35 and X36, which eventually resulted in the Defense Ministry
publicly unveiling its new jet fighter, the Qaher 313, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasting of the advanced features of this super stealth fighter.
However, according to the source, the fighter shown by Iranian media
was merely a shell model and not operational and that the regime has
only tested the smaller size. The project originally was scheduled to be
completed in 2016, but due to the sanctions and economic problems, the
regime has had problems following through with the timetable.
Russian-Iranian collaboration goes back many years. After the fall of
the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the formation of the new republics,
oil reserves in the Caspian Sea became an issue among the neighboring
countries, resulting in disputes with Iran, which claimed half of the
reserves.
Russia worried about the impact of the increased importance of this
new market and the possible decrease in value of its Siberian oil
fields, where over 40 percent of its income is based on its export of
gas and oil. Vladimir Putin made a special trip to Iran in 2007 over the
issue.
Because the Caspian-Caucasus region could play a significant role in
the world economy and world policy, Putin in his meeting with Iran’s
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was able to significantly expand
Russia’s collaboration with the Islamic regime. He also got an
agreement on the division of Caspian oil reserves and a bigger Russian
role in transporting the oil out of that area.
The 10-year agreement called for the expansion of commerce between
the two countries of up to $200 billion and military and secret projects
totaling $350 billion.
It was the first time a Kremlin chief visited Iran since Josef Stalin’s trip in 1943.
Russian collaboration extends to the regime’s missile, nuclear and
even bio-weapons programs. Sources in the Islamic regime previously have
revealed exclusively to WND the existence of secret bio-weapons site in
Iran, where, with the help of Russia, Iran has mastered production of
eight microbial agents, arming its missiles with biological warheads,
and a nuclear site at which, with Russian help, laser technology is enriching uranium.

Reza Kahlili, author of the award-winning book "A Time to Betray",
served in CIA Directorate of Operations, as a spy in the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard, counterterrorism expert; currently serves on the
Task Force on National and Homeland Security, an advisory board to
Congress and the advisory board of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran
(FDI). He regularly appears in national and international media as an
expert on Iran and counterterrorism in the Middle East.Less ↑

Will short-sighted activists still complain about drones used for all domestic use?

Christopher Dorner is thought to be hiding in California’s snow-capped San Bernardino mountain.

They believe
burly, heavily-armed Christopher Dorner is holed-up in the wilderness of
California’s snow-capped San Bernardino mountains 80 miles east of Los
Angeles.

The burnt-out shell of his pick-up
truck was discovered in the nearby resort of Big Bear, where residents
and tourists have been warned to stay indoors as the search continues.

Yesterday,
as a task force of 125 officers, some riding Snowcats in the rugged
terrain, continued their search, it was revealed that Dorner has become
the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US
soil.

A senior police source said: “The thermal
imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On
the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Asked
directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief
Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using
all the tools at our disposal.”

The use of
drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph
DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash
for the Mexican border since his rampage began.

He
said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones
by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

Dorner,
who was fired from the LAPD in 2008 for lying about a fellow officer he
accused of misconduct, has vowed to wreak revenge by “killing officers
and their families”.

In a chilling, 6,000 word
“manifesto” on his Facebook page he has threatened to “bring warfare” to
the LAPD and “utilise every bit of small arms training, demolition,
ordinance and survival training I’ve been given.”

Dorner,
33, who rose to the rank of lieutenant in the US Navy and served in
Iraq before joining the LAPD, also ominously warned that he has
shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles to “knock out” any helicopters
used to pursue him.

Last night, Brian Levin, a
psychologist and professor of criminal justice at Cal State University,
San Bernardino, said: “We’re talking about someone who basically
perceives that a tremendous injustice has been done to him that took his
life and identity.